good day turned bad

[Willow]

Have a day off today, sun shining, car being serviced so decided to cycle to tennis courts. Had 3 really good matches - first time I've played since having my eyes lasered - fantastic without glasses.

get home

Call from garage car needs extra work - my car is 3 years old (first MOT) an Astra 1.9cdti, 17k on the clock, it was a demo I bought from the Vauxhaull garage at 12 months old with 5,000 miles on clock. The bill for the service, MOT, 2 new tyres and apparently brake pads and discs front and rear have rusted is practically a months wages - I am well pd off. I do need a car but seriously at this price once a year I might as well buy a new flippin run around and insure it 3rd party. I am

 

[John Ponting]

Have a day off today, sun shining, car being serviced so decided to cycle to tennis courts. Had 3 really good matches - first time I've played since having my eyes lasered - fantastic without glasses.

get home

Call from garage car needs extra work - my car is 3 years old (first MOT) an Astra 1.9cdti, 17k on the clock, it was a demo I bought from the Vauxhaull garage at 12 months old with 5,000 miles on clock. The bill for the service, MOT, 2 new tyres and apparently brake pads and discs front and rear have rusted is practically a months wages - I am well pd off. I do need a car but seriously at this price once a year I might as well buy a new flippin run around and insure it 3rd party. I am

i thought you said the car was 3 years old ? Many low mileage, short commutes & shopping cars suffer from premature rusting. Means disks get rusty and then damage the pads. And/Or short comutes mean greater than normal use of brakes with associated wear. 17000 for a pair of tyres isn't toooo bad.

problems arise when all routine running costs arrive on the same day. Maybe now you could have the car serviced a few months before the MOT and get them to throw in a pre-MOT check.

Worn tyres should always be spotted away from the MOT booth. Even a visit to KwikFit for them to look could result in cheaper tyres.



GLAD you had good tennis before getting the bill.


btw I recently had a £530 service and a month later had a £635 head gasket repair on the car and an MOT on the motorbike - then wife wanted to go to Ardeche for a few days.

 

[Aperitif]

Lovely to hear that you are happy with your eyes willow.
And sorry about the monstrous car bunk all...
Soon forgotten - but at least you can see the bill nicely!

 

[swee'pea99]

Well done on the eyes - it is amazing isn't it? You'll really appreciate it as the evenings draw in...the difference it makes in a light drizzle on a twilight road is amazing.

As for the car, cut your losses, dump it and get yourself something Japanese or German - Honda or VW preferably. Use Honest John for your research and choose carefully. My sis recently got a 5 year old Golf Estate 1.9 TDi in basically perfect nick, FSH (VW), 30K on the clock - lovely car, goes like a rocket, quiet, smooth, comfortable, great to drive and rock solid toboot: £3,300. Probably won't cost as much over the next 10 years' maintenance as your Vauxhall just did. Seriously. I hate to say it, but British cars suck.

 

[Willow]

[quote name='swee'pea99']Well done on the eyes - it is amazing isn't it? You'll really appreciate it as the evenings draw in...the difference it makes in a light drizzle on a twilight road is amazing.

As for the car, cut your losses, dump it and get yourself something Japanese or German - Honda or VW preferably. Use Honest John for your research and choose carefully. My sis recently got a 5 year old Golf Estate 1.9 TDi in basically perfect nick, FSH (VW), 30K on the clock - lovely car, goes like a rocket, quiet, smooth, comfortable, great to drive and rock solid toboot: £3,300. Probably won't cost as much over the next 10 years' maintenance as your Vauxhall just did. Seriously. I hate to say it, but British cars suck.[/quote]

We had nice 3 series BMW tourer which unbeliveably my dad bought for us - now 6 years old no major expenditure - downside is somehow I let hubby take it when he left me - didn't think I could afford to run it, how wrong I was, I hate seeing it now all dirty and needing a good hoover and he only uses it at the weekend as commutes into london every day ... ooh don't get me on that one.

 

[Willow]

Marvelous car has to go back tomorrow making awful squealing noises today. Posted letter to Vauxhall this morning may be following it up with another. The good side is it means I have to cycle to work the bad side will have to leave children on their own am as I have early meeting. I am not comfortable leaving them until about 10 minutes before they have to leave for school tomorrow they will only just be up!

 

[Dayvo]

If you don't need a car for work, why not rent a car when you have weekends away/holidays, and get a taxi to and from the supermarket/shops?

 

[Willow]

Because - Monday night is football, Tuesday, Tennis, Wednesday, Football, Thursday Football and swimming, Friday, Tennis and Football, Saturday Football x 2, Sunday Football x 1 and Rugby x1 - summer cricket Monday Friday and Sunday plus 2 days a week have to do school run because of activities there so whilst I don't need it for work I need it to run the family taxi service! phew.................... in between that I go to work, do the garden cleaning, car washing, shopping and anything else oh the occasional game of tennis for me.

 

[Dayvo]

Because - Monday night is football, Tuesday, Tennis, Wednesday, Football, Thursday Football and swimming, Friday, Tennis and Football, Saturday Football x 2, Sunday Football x 1 and Rugby x1 - summer cricket Monday Friday and Sunday plus 2 days a week have to do school run because of activities there so whilst I don't need it for work I need it to run the family taxi service! phew.................... in between that I go to work, do the garden cleaning, car washing, shopping and anything else oh the occasional game of tennis for me.

Blimey! You're a sporty/busy lass!

 

[Aperitif]

Relax

...runs here and there...

 

[Dayvo]

That would be a sweet spot to work!

No 'fores', just fours and the odd sex six!

 

[fossyant]

Hmm not too keen on letting garages service my cars..... rip off merchants. Feel for you, mine cost £450 to get a new condenser fitted for the A/C recently - but that's the only major spend in 5 years....

I'm expecting my discs to go at some point as the car sits on the drive all week, and the alloys mean the discs are exposed to rain - cue crunchy / grinding for the first time you brake after it being sat all week.......

Thing is, if you had the dealer service it, they will use OEM parts and charge top dollar labour......local garage will use good makes of parts, or OEM where they are not available, but the rates will be less.

 

[Willow]

trouble is I've had a car stolen twice - XR2 at 10 months (Bristol) practically rebuilt, second time it never returned (Cardiff) but that was good - I'd just taken delivery of a new car and was about to sell it! but I only got good pay out because I had the evidence of having it serviced with dealer.

 

[TheDoctor]

Bloody garages...
Went to a main dealer for a quote to replace a broken headlight. £200 for the light, half hour labour to fit it, nearly £300 with VAT. Got the light on the internet, brand new for under £100 and fitted it myself in 15 mins, without seeing the manual or ever having done it before.
Grrrr!

 

[fossyant]

Same here TheDoctor - rear lamp from dealer £XXXXXXXXXXX - on-line scrap yard £70 and fitted in 10 mins...easy........

Passenger door lock actuator for central door locking - wife's car..... £150 part, god knows how long to fit...... scrap yard £50 and a good 2 hours to strip door, fit and re-fit.......easy job but loads of stuff to undo/re-do !